Heart of Dixie

I detest CBS news

that goes for national and local.

CBS national has its own personal agenda -- to put George Bush in the worst possible light in every situation. Yesterday we got a new Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. All events leading up to the swearing in of John Roberts were of note...relatively easy committee hearing, no major media slams, a smooth 78-22 confirmation vote, and an immediate, sombre, hypeless swearing in. A class act all the way around for an historic occasion.

But what was the lead story on CBS national last night? A slam against Bush for the war in Iraq. Then another story. Third on the list was the story about Chief Justice John Roberts.

Our local CBS news is basically done by a bunch of clowns. Oh yeah, there are exceptions, the main one being their sports announcer Dee Jackson. He had been gone for a number of months but has now returned.

But the hubs insists on watching the CBS news. shudder.

Fashion You Could Actually Wear

Usually when I see scenes from fashion shows, I look at the creations coming down the runway with "you've got to be kidding me" running through my head on a continuous looping cycle. Most of the stuff looks like it would be worn by street-corner working girls or gals from outer space. I remember thinking that one outfit looked like a take-off of Jane Jetson's hair! However, today I saw a collection from a designer named Stephen Burrows and, wonders of wonders, most of the outfits could have been worn by everyday people to normal events. What a refreshing change! Now some of the stuff was really out there, but by and large it was good stuff!

On a totally different subject...Two years ago I bought a Maytag Atlantis washer. I'd had a Maytag before and never had any difficulties with it. The one thing I don't like about the Maytags is that there tubs seems to be smaller than other brands. When I decided to buy another one, I stuck with the reliable ol' Maytag. Now I'm regretting that I did. Two years old and it's already having its second major problem. It sounds like a screaming jet engine when it goes into the spin cycle. Well, if and when it does spin. Last night, it didn't even spin a medium load of shirts hard enough to get the fabric softener out of the cup. When I called for service, the first appointment was 10 days out and it was supposed to be today. Now I've been put off until tomorrow because no one is going to be in our area today. They're sending someone from 4 hours away tomorrow. All I can say is that he'd better have the part and fix it!

Thoughts and Prayers for TX and LA

My thoughts and prayers for all those who may be affected by Hurricane Rita. I heard yesterday afternoon that 1915 was the last time two Category 4 hurricanes hit the US. The two cities of landfall --- Galveston and New Orleans. Seeing the news reports, I couldn't figure out why they didn't reverse the inbound lanes of the interstate as people were trying to leave Galveston and Houston.

Anyway, I am praying for the safety for everyone in those areas.

SuperBaby is Two!!

His birthday was yesterday but his party was Sunday afternoon. A friend of Mandy's had a moonwalk and loaned it to them for the party. The kids had a blast! We set it up the day before so Avery and his daddy got to try it out early. Who's having the most fun?!?

Way toooo cute!

Speaking of cute, I gave Piggy Sue some linguini I had leftover from lunch today. She slurped up the pasta strands like kids do. Makes you want to break out into song...O Sole Piggo!

If you were thinking about calling me tonight, one word - DON'T!!! Survivor and the season premier of CSI. 'Nuff said!

I've got to get rid of this negativity

It seems like all I do lately is come here to rant and rave about something negative. I know that's one of the good things about having your own weblog on your very own space. You can smile, cry, let off steam, or smell the cyber-roses, but sheesh---must I moan, groan, and complain all the time? Okay, so I'll make a good comment and then have a mini-rant in the extended entry.

My project at work that's had me down for so long has apparently made a successful transition from planning and development to live application. In a meeting this week, our e-government partner said they had not had one phone call about something not working or a complaint or even a question. I was told that it was because of my diligence in laying out the rules and if-thens and thorough testing prior to releasing it as a live application. I was also told that it will be used as a model for future development for other agencies. yea me :-)

now the mini-rants - these are rambling and probably make no sense. that's okay, ranters don't have to make sense.

~Person A and person B do the same thing. If person A gets recognized, then why shouldn't person B? It's also a bad idea to tell person B that it's nothing personal. really. Then what is it?

~Click reply, type thank you, click send.

~Don't insult my work ethic and then come acting all sugary-sweet later on.

~If you're going to talk on the phone while I'm trying to watch something on TV that you know I've been anticipating, take the phone to another room. If you don't, then you have no right to get pissed at me when I turn up the volume.

out.

Has your day gone wrong? Are you in a bad mood?

Here is the sure-fire cure!! By the time you finish reading this, you should be laughing hysterically! If not, there may not be any hope for you!

Well, on a totally different subject...I think I need to post some proper etiquette when attending a funeral. They're mostly based on decency, courtesy, and respectfulness toward the deceased and his/her family. These are all from a funeral the hubs and I attended today.

(1) Make sure your clothes are neat, clean, mended, and appropriate for the occasion. Examples of what not to wear are an untucked undershirt (yep, a regular ol' undershirt) over a pair of dirty, baggy khaki pants; flip flops; a lime green mini-skirt; and jeans with holes in the butt large enough to let people know you're wearing plaid boxers. Now, if this is all you have, that's okay...but at least wash them, tuck in your shirt, and sew up the holes.

(2) As everyone is standing in respectful silence as the casket is being removed from the back of the hearse, do not stand by the hearse and chat loudly and laugh about what happened last weekend when you went down for "Floridee" and visited with Uncle Earl and Cuzin Pearl. Get the hint when people are giving you the evil eye and saying "shhhhhh." Oh, and you might want to save that story about your feet swelling up until much later.

(3) When the graveside service is over, just wait a few minutes while people hug each other goodbye. The cars that are blocking you will soon move and you'll be able to leave. It's not nice to drive across the cemetary grounds next to the graves.

(4) If you bring children, talk to them beforehand about what a funeral is, that people will be sad, and that they should be very quiet. Emphasize that they should not jump up and down and yell, "Hey, what's going on? I can't see anything! Is she in the ground yet?"

Class dismised.

How'd They Get So Haughty?

I know/have known several people (my late MIL, for one) who came from very humble beginnings who grew up to be very haughty adults who think they're better than everyone else. My MIL openly admitted and taught her children that they were better than most of the people in their small hometown. Others think they are too good to help out with certain tasks at work, like answering the phone when it's ringing off the hook and the admin assistants are tied up on other lines. Others flaunt the high-end name brands clothes they wear, cars they drive, or household items they buy and put down others who use/wear inferior (in their opinion) stuff. Geez. I don't understand. I understand wanting to pull yourself up by the bootstraps and make something out of yourself, but there's no reason why you should step on people as you're climbing up on your self-constructed pedestal.

Lest We Forget

Cross formed by still-standing steel crossbeams

Flag raised at Ground Zero - Let Freedom Ring

thanks to my Trixie friend BonBon for reminding me that we should all pause and remember.

Fund-Raising Efforts

There are a lot of big-time fundraising efforts going on for the victims of Hurricane Katrina from concerts by big-name stars and telethons to local radio and TV station personalities holding out buckets at the local Lowe's or Home Depot. In fact, Alabama was doing a free acoustical concert tonight at Riverwalk Stadium (I was supposed to go but cancelled--a growly story involving work). I am involved with one fundraiser that is being done on a Trixie Belden website. Members of that cyber-community are putting items or donations of their artistic skills up for auction with 100% of the proceeds going to the American Red Cross. It's a great way to do it .. donors know that their efforts are appreciated, auction winners are getting special, sometimes one-of-a-kind things in return, and the victims are getting the benefit. A win-win-win situation. Come on over to the Jix Fundraiser and see what's being offered.

Good grief, I can't believe it's this late! I need to head for bed!!

Have you ever eaten a Grapple?

A lot of this, that, or the other in today's post.

Anyway, the Grapple. It's pronounced Gray-ple. It's an apple that supposed to taste like a grape. I bought some at our new Publix last weekend. They were in a plastic container and I was pleasantly surprised when a soft grape smell wafted out of the container when I opened it. Unfortunately the pleasant surprise ended there. It tasted like an apple; a good apple, but just a plain ol' apple nonetheless. It made me wonder if the fruit had been injected with a grape smell for a marketing ploy. Well, it worked once but won't again, at least not for me.

So many things going on in the world. So the NO mayor finally makes a tough decision and announces forced evaluation. Odd how he can yell, scream, and curse at everyone else for not making decisions quicker and he's guilty of the same thing. At least from my POV.

Wasn't that sad about the NO policeman who committed suicide because he could no longer deal with the situation. From the story I read, he was a great guy and well-respected by his colleagues. He was a perfectionist and liked things organized. Apparently he became deeply depressed because he couldn't make peace out of the chaos. Sad, terribly sad.

I had a meeting today with the controlling folks of my on-going project at work that was supposed to be finished two weeks ago. They came over to show me how to access reports, what data I'd be getting and in what format, etc. They hadn't set up my username and password, so they couldn't show me how to access reports and what was available. They hadn't put any data into my FTP site so I couldn't get a demo of that. They did bring over a written structure of how the data would be formatted, which was somewhat of a help. Had it been me, I would have made sure everything had been done so that information could have been demonstrated and exchanged and questions asked and answered. ::shrug::

Help offered but refused

One of the areas of responsibility the hubs has in the Department of Environmental Management is directing the department's Emergency Response program. The unit chief called his counterpart in Mississippi to let him know that at least three people from the Alabama office could come to MS to help with their disaster. The offer was refused. It seems like they should be glad to get all the help they can. Maybe they are doing okay or perhaps they didn't want to admit they couldn't handle their own problems.

Speaking of which, I have a copy of an article from a reporter in Merritt Island, FL, that indicates that this was the attitude (not wanting to admit they couldn't handle their own problems or the fact they hadn't adequately prepared) of the Louisiana Governor and New Orleans Mayor, which significantly contributed to the loss of life and ensuing SNAFU. If I can't find it on-line, I'll retype the report. It sheds a whole new light on things.

oh, and speaking of asking for help (a rant)....

to whom it may concern ... if you ask someone a question or for help, do not interrupt the explanation to argue. It's rude. Besides, if you already know so much, then why did you ask? If it's me that your asking, don't be surprised when I stop midsentence, blink, and give you The Look.

Gathering clothes for hurricane victims

From my post yesterday, I learned that one of the local churches is collecting clothes to be sent to hurricane victims. I began the process this morning of gathering the decent clothes that are too small for me. I was in tears when I saw the slim, size 8 and 10 jeans that used to fit so nicely that I can hardly get a leg in now. Although I avoid white carbs (sugar, flour, etc.) and briskly walk a mile at least four days a week, my old-age metabolism will never allow me to wear those sizes again. Sad for me, but I sure hope that someone in the Gulf Coast region will be excited to get them.

It's a lovely day here. I hope you are enjoying the Labor Day holiday!

ETA: Blogrolling is having issues, so my weblog links on the sidebar have temporarily disappeared.

Tragedy on the Gulf Coast

We were in Namibia when we heard about Hurricane Katrina slamming into the Gulf Coast area. We had called our son from Outjo, Namibia, and he told us it had hit just two hours before. He said that 30+ people had died in one apartment building in Biloxi. I don't know this for sure but I'm guessing that since the building was on the coastline, it was filled with people who had the means and wherewithall to get out....they just chose not to do so. If they chose to stay, they may have been having a hurricane party, which are fairly common in that area. I know this sounds callous but I do not feel badly for those people at all. I do hate it for their families since they senselessly lost loved ones.

It is horrible but some people have had to endure...tragic deaths, barely surviving on the edge of death, loss of all property, and gosh-awful shelter conditions. Then there's these THUGS and PUNKS who go in and steal what little these people have left. Oh yeah, not to mention the idiots who shot at relief workers, which further delayed efforts to get in and help innocent victims. I hope these people roast in Hell for what they did.

But there are other horrors these people must face. Water-borne and other diseases from bodies and human waste floating in the water; the possibility of fires from wiring shorts and gas leaks when the power is turned back on; buildings falling from weakened foundations. The list is, unfortunately, endless.

A lot of people say they only have the clothes on their backs. I wish there was some way to donate clothes. I've got a ton of decent clothing of all sizes that I know that someone could use, but all the relief agencies say they just want cash.

Dixie needs to go to the vet

Never mind that she just had her annual checkup and shots yesterday and that everything was just fine. It's not that anything happened yesterday or last night. It's just that, well, my vet's office has a new doctor working there and HOLY MOLEY!!! This guy is WOWOWOWOWOWEEEEEEEEEEE. I don't really like the word "hottie," but honestly in this case it's the best word I can think of. Major swoon! I swear, it would have been enough for Mother Tereasa to turn in her habit and wimple.

To explain my recent absence, the hubs and I have been in Namibia, Africa. Pix to be posted later.